Dallas schools are winning back students with new focus on innovation
Over the last 15 years, Dallas Independent School District has lost 35,000 students to new charter and private schools in the city. The plan to get them back, led by Deputy Chief of Transformation and Innovation Angie Gaylord, is to redesign all 230 schools in the district with new academic focuses. Many schools are getting new buildings and principals, while…
Governors are putting greater support behind education at every age level
The 39 governors elected in states and territories last November represent a wave of education reform and prioritization, according to the National Governors Association. Speaking at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, last week, NGA’s lead education policy director, Seth Gerson, described the new class of governors as uniquely education-focused, whether it be on early-childhood education or workforce…
There's a gap in education that only industry can fill, report says
High schools are teaching students a curriculum that prepares them for a future that doesn’t exist, according to a recent report from an education nonprofit. According to the America Achieves Educator Networks, or AAEN — an initiative of the nonprofit accelerator America Achieves, which supports best practices and policy research among K-12 and higher education — if schools can’t understand…
NYU's 'People-Led Innovation' project launches new website
Building on the success of its previous government innovation projects in Chile, Ecuador and Mexico, a governance thought lab at New York University is launching a new tool for local government officials in the U.S. to more quickly and efficiently get the expert insight they need — from their constituents, subject-matter experts and anchor institutions in their communities. The project…
Giant no-bid IT contracts at Kansas revenue agency prompt surprising layoffs
The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) will lay off 56 employees after two multimillion dollar no-bid contracts with CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc., the company behind the torrid rollout of Healthcare.gov in 2013, the Wichita Eagle first reported this week. KDOR will move its information technology services over to the company after signing at least two no-bid contracts in February 2017 and…
South Carolina readies cyber workforce initiative to bridge industry, academia, government
South Carolina is taking steps to strengthen its cybersecurity posture. Last week, Gov. Henry McMaster announced the formation of a new office at the North Augusta Municipal Center for SC Cyber, the state’s initiative and liaison between industry, academia and government for cybersecurity development. The office will work to meet the region’s “growing cyber related educational and workforce demands,” a statement says. McMaster touted…
